Compelling arguments: Open access in Germany: the best DEAL is no deal

A coalition of German libraries and research institutions is pursuing an ambitious new deal with Elsevier, but Brembs and Holcombe argue that even if they “won” this negotiation, the longer term goal for scholars has got to be shaking off the for-profit publishers entirely and moving to infrastructure that is non-profit and controlled by the academy. (Many voices in the scholarly communication world are making the same case, from Jean-Claude Guédon to IUPUI Dean of Libraries David Lewis.)

Gold OA and the OA2020 approach of “flipping” established journals to APC-based models comes in for substantial critique, as well. In the process, the authors pull together links to research and resources in support of a scholar-owned/non-profit approach, from the DORA declaration on research assessment to Brembs’ own research on the correlation between high impact factor and subpar science. Well worth a read.